John j



(No Model.)

J. J HAHN.

HAND TRUCK.

No. 389,383. Patented Sept. 11, 1888.

NITED STATES ATENT Fries.

JOHN J. HAHN, OF OXFORD, KANSAS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO I. J.llIAGGARD, OF SAME PLACE.

HAND-TRUCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 389,383, datedSeptember 11, 1888,

Application filed May 511, 1888.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN J. Harm, of Oxford, in the county of Sumner andState of Kansas,have invented certain new and useful Improvements inHand-Trucks; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to theletters of reference marked thereon, which form part of thisspecification.

My invention relates to improvements in hand-trucks especially adaptedfor handling, raising, or lowering barrels, boxes, packages, &c.

The object of this invention is to produce a cheap, strong, andefficient truck simple in construction, interchangeable in its parts,andeconomical in space and time. It is readily folded in such manner thatit is compact and capable of being handled as an ordinary storetruck,and at the same time it is also capable of elevating a barrel or otherarticle on skids into drays or wagons or up upon other barrels in tiers,as may be required. It is particularly designed for wholesale stores,warehouses, or the like, where barrels, bales, or crates arecontinuously handled, also on wharves, depots, steamboats, or other suchplaces where rapid transportation and movements of stores areessentially necessary.

To these ends my invention consists in certain novel features ofconstruction and combinations of parts, more fully describedhereinafter, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation ofthe truck with the handles extended and the main frame supporting thesliding frame in position to raise a barrel. Fig. 2 is a longitudinalvertical section, the truck being in the same position as shown inFig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the truck, the various parts ofthe same being adjusted so that the truck can be used in the common way,as an ordinary truck. Fig. etis a top plan, the truck being adjusted asshown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a cross-section of the device. Fig. (3 is asectional view of one of the extension -handles, illustrating the dogfor Serial No. 275,611. (No model.)

holding the handles to their entcnded position; and Fig. 7 is a detailview of the hook for engaging the chine of the barrel.

In the drawings, the reference-letter A indicates the main frame of thetruck, and said frame is composed of the parallel pieces or bars a,suitably braced and held the desired distance apart by crosspieces orthe like, and at their lower ends by the axle of the truck, providedupon its outer ends with suitable wheels, as usual. Upon their innerlongitudinal edges the side pieces are provided with ways or leads a,and in said ways the side bars I) of the sliding frame B are wholly orpartially confined in sliding adjustment by means of metallic strips 1)on the top of side bars a and by additional metallic strips, If, oninner sides of said bars. Thus the sliding frame is secured to the mainframe and can be longitudinally raised and lowered in the ways a of thesame. The barrel or other article being raised by the sliding frame canbe prevented from rubbing against the side bars of the main frame bymetallic strips secured to the inner faces of the side bars of thesliding frame so as to extend above the strips I). The iron side bars Z)are arranged to support the load on their edges instead of on their flatsides, whereby the truck is strengthened and friction greatly lessened.This sliding-frame is adapted to support and raise or lower a barrel orother article, and is provided. at its lower end with a foot or yoke, c,to support the article, and having grooves c to hold and receive thechine of a barrel, and near the opposite end of the sliding frame itsside bars are connected and braced by suitable crossbars, two(preferably) of which-such as d removably support a rod, (1,longitudinally and centrally between the upper portion of the sidepieces of said sliding frame. Adouble hook, I), is loosely mounted uponsaid rod by means of an aperture in its shank, through which the rodpasses, and the upper portion of said hook D is provided with projectingarms or hooks ee,one located above or longerthan the other, as shown.This double hook is adapted to hold the barrel or other article inposition upon the sliding frame, and it can be adjusted up and down onthe rod to fit barrels of different heights, and barrels of differentwidths are provided forby said two hooks, one longer than the other, thelonger hook to engage the chines of larger barrels and the shorter hookthe chines of smaller barrels.

E E indicate a pair of extension-handles, each handle being formed intwo sections, f f. The sectionsf of each handle are pivotally secured attheir lower ends to the lower outer faces of the main-frame side bars,as shown, to allow the upper end of the main frame to swing upwardlyupon its axle as a pivot. Each section f is provided with alaterally-projecting arm or flange, g,adapted toengage the underedgeofthe main frame to uphold the same. The sliding sections f of theextension-handles are provided at their outer ends with the usualhand-grips or handle portions, and said sliding sections are secured toand confined on the pivoted sections f in sliding adjustment by sleevesg rigidly secured to the pivoted sections and loosely embracing thesliding sections, and by sleeves g, rigidly secured to the slidingsections near their ends and loosely embracing the pivoted sections, asclearly shown. Thus it will be seen that the sliding sections areconfined upon the upper side of the pivoted sections and can be extendeduntil the sleeves g and g engage; or the two sections can be shovedtogcther until the handle-sections lie full length upon the pivotedsections, as seen in Fig. 3.

The extension-handles are provided with pivoted folding braces F, eachsliding section having an end of one of said bracesF pivoted to its end,the opposite end of the brace being provided with a longitudinal slot,through which extends a pin, b secured to the outer face of a side barof the main frame. Thusit will be seen that when the main frame istilted to the position shown in Fig. 1 and the handles extended thelower ends of the braces pivoted to the sliding sections are drawnforward to the position shown in said figure, with the pins 1) at theupper ends of the slots, thereby supporting the main frame in itsinclined position, and when the sliding sections are shoved inward thebraces will be folded in between the handles and the sides of the mainframe.

A Windlass-shaft, G, isjournaled in the sliding sections of theextension-handles near their outer ends, and said shaft is provided witha suitable reel and a gear, G between the sections and at one side ofthe reel, and said gear meshes with another gear, 1}", mounted on ashaft, G, extended through a sliding section and provided with a movablehand-crank, and said gear G is normally prevented from rotating in onedirection by a suitable pawl.

Pulley-blocks h h are secured at the front ends of the side bars of thesliding frame, one on each side. Pulleys i 2' are journaled in metalbands or straps secured to the inner faces of the side bars of the mainframe and at the front portions of the same, one pulley being located oneach side bar, and at the rear ends of said mainframe side bars twopairs of pulleys,jj andj j, are jourualed in suitable metal bands orstraps secured to the main frame, one pair of pulleys journaled on oneside and the opposite pair on the other side of the main frame, and saidpulleys are of greater diameter than the pulleys at the front of thetruck.

It will thus be seen that each side of the truck is provided with aseparate system of pulleys, over which operate separate ropes or cordsH, one of said cords being secured at one end to the eye ofapulley-block, h, thence extending rearwardly around the surface of theforemost of the pair of pnlleysjj, thence forwardly around the pulleyina pulley-block, l1, thence forwardly again around the surface of therearmost of said pair of pulleys j, thence rearwardly again around thepulley i, journaled to the main frame, and thence the rope or cordextends rearwardly and is secured to-the windlass-shaft. The other cordis connected with the similar system of pulleys on the opposite side andthe Windlass in the same way as the cord just described. Hence it willbe seen that when the Windlass-shaft is rotated in one direction thecords will be wound upon the same and the sliding frame will be raised,requiring a minimum amount of power applied to the Windlass-shaft byreason of the power-multiplying system of pulleys just described. One

or both of the extension-handles are provided with a locking-dog, J,pivoted at about its center in a recess in the end of the slidingsection, and said dog is composed of an engaging end adapted to normallyproject above the upper surface of said sliding section, being heldnormally in this position by the opposite heavier end of the dog. A rod,J, is secured to said dog and extends rearwardlyin a groove in saidsection to the hand'grip, where it is provided with a finger-ring, andby pulling on said rod the upper end of the dog is withdrawn into itsseat. Thus it willbe seen that when the handles are extended the dogwill engage the end of the sleeve secured to the pivoted sections, andthus hold the sliding sections from being shoved together whileelevating the article to be raised, and when it is desired to shortenthe handles the operator disengages the locking-dog and draws thesections together by winding up the rope on the Windlass-shaft.

When it is desired to move and raise a barrel, the foot of the truck isplaced under the barrel,as usual,and the-hook D placed on the upperchine. The truck is then wheeled to the spot where the barrel is to belocated and the handles are extended, and the main frame assumes theposition shown in Fig. 1. The bar- 'rel is then raised by the Windlass,ropes, and system of pulleys operating the sliding frame. It should beobserved that articles of great weight can be raised as well as loweredby this truck.

It is evident that various slight changes and modifications might beresorted to in the form and arrangement of the various parts describedwithout departing from the spiritand scope of myinvention; hence I donot wish to limit myself strictly to the precise construction herein setforth.

\Vhat I claim is 1. In a truck, the combination of the main frame, thesliding frame, and the handles pivoted to the main frame, substantiallyas and for the purpose described.

2. In a truck, the combination of the main frame, the sliding frameconfined in ways on the main frame, and extension-handles pivoted to themain frame and carrying a wind lass connected with the sliding frame,whereby the same is raised or lowered, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the main frame and the sliding frame, ofextensionhandles pivoted to the main frame and pivoted folding bracesconnected with the main frame and extension-handles, substantially asdescribed.

4. Inatruck, the combination, with aframe and cross-pieces, of a rodcarried by said crosspieces between the side bars of the frame and ahook mounted on said rod to freely slide on the same and provided atitsfree end with one or more hooks to engage the chine of a barrel,substantially as described.

5. The combination, with the main frame and eXtension-handles,of theherein-described dog pivoted in a section of the extensiouhandles andadapted to removabl y hold the handles extended, substantially asdescribed.

6. The combination of the main frame, the sliding frame operating inlongitudinal ways in the upper-side of the main frame, the windlass-shaft, and the herein-described system of power-multiplying pulleysmounted on the sliding frame and the main frame, and the ropes or cordssecured at one end to the sliding frame and operating over said pulleysand secured at their opposite ends to the Windlass, substantially asdescribed.

7. A truck provided with extension-handles formed in sections, onesection of each handle being pivoted to the side bars of the truck,substantially as described.

8. In a truck, the combination of the main frame, the sliding frame, thehandles, and a windlassjournaled in and extending between said handlesand connected with the sliding frame, substantially as described.

9. In a truck, the combination of the main frame, the sliding frame, andthe extensionhandles pivoted to the main frame, for the purposedescribed.

In testimony that I elaim the foregoing as my own I affix my signaturein presence oftwo witnesses.

JOHN J. HAHN.

Witnesses:

OWEN E. DUFFY,

nus. M. VERLE.

